‘A museum show with Francis Bacon? It is a dream come true!’ In conversation with: artist Olivia Sterling

Earlier this year, artist Olivia Sterling presented a new body of work at Norwich University’s East Gallery.

Pity the Meat! saw her work in dialogue with a single painting by Francis Bacon, Two Figures in a Room (1959), from the Sainsbury Centre collection.

Described by Time Out in 2023 as “one of the best young artists working in London today”, Olivia is a rising voice in contemporary British painting. We caught up with her to find out more about the exhibition and her practice – and to ask her advice for students and young artists starting out on their creative journey today.

Hi, Olivia! Can you tell us about your practice and what drives your work?

Of course! I am a painter whose work focuses on three things: food, comedy and Whiteness.

I use food and comedy to criticise Whiteness due to its risible view of people. This is the main driving force for my work: that colour is employed as a tool to objectify others and make them consumable – whether for entertainment, self-worth or labour.

Moreover, I try to untangle the experience of growing up in a society shaped by Whiteness (i.e the preference of white skin, heterosexuality, nuclear families etc) through painting.

Letters anxiously annotate colours and bodies share similar characteristics as food, mimicking the mind of a bigot.

Olivia Sterling, Wobbly with Drink (2026)

Is there a particular artwork you feel especially connected to?

It has to be Wobbly with Drink; the title comes from the Bacon biography Revelations, where the authors describe one of Bacon’s many alcohol-soaked evenings.

At the time, I felt like I needed to paint the precariousness of 2026. A server struggles to hold his drinks tray aloft and this feels like watching recent world events – specifically because a mystery hand comes down to knock the tray over.

This could be the hand of those in power or the fickle hand of luck. The painting is soaked in red which the viewer can see as wine or, much more likely, blood. I probably don’t need to say why.

Otherwise, I will always love Something for the Ladies. It is a revenge painting: the fingers of UKIP supporters turn themselves into Lincolnshire sausages. I felt like a wizard making this, transforming British-loving figures into a nationalistic symbol: a silly, wiggly, harmless piece of meat.

However, I hope that this painting depicts how hatred twists and deforms the self in order to adhere to Whiteness and nationalistic ideologies as shown through a sore finger getting disfigured by sausage string.

Olivia Sterling, Something for the Ladies (2023)

What does it mean to show your work at Norwich University’s East Gallery?

I am unable to put into words what it means to have work at East Gallery. Not only am I grateful to have a museum show but with Francis Bacon?! It is a dream come true and I think I am still dreaming!

Every moment has been not only easy but fun. East Gallery curator Claire is such a force and I am so grateful to everyone that allowed the show to happen.

Pity the Meat! presented Sterling’s work in dialogue with Two Figures in a Room (1959) by Francis Bacon

What has it been like spending time with our Fine Art students?

It has been wonderful, I am rather jealous of how big the campus is and the range of facilities students get to use.

I showed them around my show and we discussed a snippet of The Logic of Sensation by Deleuze where he talks about the steps before making a painting. We had a wonderful talk about recognising the artwork all our work sits on top of.

What advice would you give to emerging artists studying Fine Art today?

Only that the current establishment wants to lessen the importance of the Arts when we know that it enriches our lives in many ways. It is an important emotional outlet that we must keep doing.

I will say please try to keep making, no matter how small it is and make it only for yourselves.

Photography: Denisa Ilie